


Bloodstained Fangs and Puckered Bloody Lips

by Tentabot



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Action, Blood and Gore, M/M, Monster Hunters, Monsters, Romance, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-31
Updated: 2015-01-13
Packaged: 2018-03-04 11:09:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3065654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tentabot/pseuds/Tentabot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>A little fledgling with a drinking problem and a really hot neighbor from out of town collide in this romantic blockbuster!</i>
</p><p>But if only it were that easy.</p><p>Toss in a few threats, plenty of secrets, and a man who could not possibly ever act like a mastermind, and that's a way to spice things up a little right next to a monstrous world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Now is the new Normal

**Author's Note:**

> Let's do this. B3c

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _There once lived a man named Ray,_   
>  _Who loved to play games all day,_   
>  _He'd flash one a grin,_   
>  _And on their neck he'd dive in,_   
>  _"This ain't Twilight, shitface" he would say._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, I don't know why I'm doing this. I thought I had given up RPF long ago but here I am.
> 
> Secondly, confetti for my debut fic on this profile and for writing for the first time in a long time. However, through that all I am still a master of forgetting about continuity. Apologies if you have standards.
> 
> Thirdly, I wanted to get this out before New Years Day. It's the last day of 2014 right now for me so hell yeah let's see how long this thing goes for!
> 
> And lastly, I have a few plans and the next chapter is already halfway done. I have no updating schedule so whatever gets put out is there. I try to make the chapters 10k each at least so it does take a while. I'm thinking quantity over quality.
> 
> But whatever; please enjoy! God knows the idea was stuck in my head for so long I had to.
> 
> Special mention to The Black Dagger Brotherhood series which I guess I can recommend. Listening to the audiobooks played a strong part in how I wrote the descriptions for Geoff and Ryan and it continues to be a great reference for the genre I'm dabbling in with this.

The brick walls weren’t comically covered in sprays of blood but the asphalt definitely had a few defining puddles of bodily fluid added to it. A body fell to the ground, paler and drained of blood, while the killer stood with a bloody mouth and a lazy smile. His fangs were bared, sharp and long, like pincers. His tongue darted out to lick his lips as he took a few steps towards the two others he had left to cower behind a dumpster. He could only hum as another shiver wracked his body and made him breathe a soft sigh of relief.

The taste was nothing to celebrate, it was only just sweeter and more addicting than its old taste of salt and metal, but it fed him well and after so long without it the flavor exploded and hit him. Hard. It was like an unreachable high, making him shake and his body tingle pleasantly. The little monster within him was growling, sated, while he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. The blood was going to be a pain to get out of his light beard but it wasn’t anything he wasn’t used to.

With another step he moved towards his more alive targets, struggling to pick one up. Even as a human he was weak but being a vampire didn’t give him any superpowers like one would hope. Just a new diet and new biology he didn’t understand. But at least physically he was just fine, fingers curling around the struggling man’s throat and digging, as if he was giving a teaser to death. The teaser only lasted the second it took for the man to cough because soon his throat was being sucked on, sharp teeth piercing skin and flesh and even without a vein the blood rushed so beautifully and it was another hit, another shot to keep him going for a long while.

The blood was so fresh and he always got to taste more than that, touching something more than plasma. He could taste the thickness of a soul, an essence that was a life force to be taken. It was more fluid than the blood, like what air would be if it were more solid, and it slid down so wonderfully with the blood even though there was a hint of something tainted. There always was, though, and he had grown accustomed to the bitter taste of shitty humans with their dirty deeds scarring even their baser being.

The final victim was trembling and looked as if he would piss himself. It was both amusing and pitiful and the vampire’s fingertips brushed across the man’s cheek before reaching under his chin to tilt his head up. The human still silently sobbed, eyes darting to his dead friends. The man was a guilty as the others, as disgusting as them, and he wasn’t even sorry. He was only sorry now because his vein was going to be an excellent straw for his body of a blood bag. So the vampire spared nothing.

He made things just a little quicker because not even the magic that protected monsters like him from humans could cover the cries of a human in the middle of dying. Not that they really had time or even confidence to cry aloud when he pulled the wool over the eyes of a few poor and not-at-all-innocent souls. For now it might just look like a fight happened or that he was sucking face with someone. He was sucking something alright though and it was a bit lower than the face. Almost directly, in fact. A bit to their left, a few centimeters under the lobe.

His teeth sunk in and he was drinking while he texted for cleanup. He knew his venom well enough that the bodies didn’t have all that long before their organs liquefy. He couldn’t do anything to stop that, unfortunately. He hated the thought of piercing himself with the same venom, his teeth being long enough to catch him by his chin, but as a vampire he was immune to most things. Death wasn’t one of them, unfortunately, but aging and general sickness was. He wasn’t sure if he enjoyed constantly looking like he was twenty-six though. It was a tease age. He was young enough to dip a finger into either honey pot.

He didn’t even really like honey. It was too sticky, and too sweet, and it was messier to clean than blood was. Once upon a time, if you asked him which he would rather drink a shot of he would have said honey. Blood was by far superior now. It was in his monster make up. The thought made him salivate most times out of ten. But his innocence was years ago now, maybe five or six. It was weird to think he was technically in his thirties.

He plucked a small packet of wipes out of his jacket pocket and wiped his mouth before cleaning up the wounds. He drank them good but not dry, cleaning up the blood from the puncture marks and dragging the bodies to lean up against the wall in a line. Looking at them all, the sight would have made a good picture for a cheap boyband. Maybe an emo one, if you based it on their colorless skin. He adjusted their hair accordingly before pushing up his glasses like he had just completely a work of art.  

He wished he could take his phone out and take a photo but apparently it was bad to take flash photography of people who had been drained as much as they have. They’d be just piles of dust and slimy from the toxic guts his venom had helped supply and that wasn’t worth the flash for the brightness needed in the dark alley. (Though it all could be a lie so he didn’t take pictures of victims and have it traced back to him. He didn’t want to try and find out though, not even years after first becoming a fledgling. Connections may keep him away from a wooden stake but he also wanted to keep himself from many modern day clichés.)

Almost seven minutes after his bite from the third poor guy, a van pulled up at the curb beside him and people in white were getting out of it like it was a drill. Vitals were checked while another person would inject the body with an immunomoderator to stop his venom from infecting the bodies any further than what they were. They shouldn’t be too bad since his feeding time only took about half an hour and his venom should take at least an hour to completely do a human in, all guts gone and all blood with it.

He watched the people in white work before his ears perk up at the sound of the driver’s seat door opening. He snorted, looking a little amused as the driver stood next to him with his hands behind his back, looking decently proper in the suit and tie combo.

The man was older, age showing in the wrinkles by his eyes that were dark but still shone bright. His skin looked leathery but clean, even his mustache trimmed evenly and curling like the corners of his mouth. He looked tired but well kept, especially considering how old he was. Under the suit he still looked like he was solid by his chest and shoulders but under layers of clothing one would be able to tell. And that sort of invitation wasn’t one that the vampire felt like indulging himself to.

No offense to his boss, but the age was too great for him to be interested. The physical age, at least. The fact the older man was a few hundred years old didn’t bother the aesthetic of his appearance all too much. He could appreciate looks, regardless of true age.

The vampire licked his lips of any remaining blood, though it tasted like it would stick around for a while, dried blood sticking around the cracks of his chapped lips. He should really invest in some chapstick but he wasn’t kissing anyone any time soon so why bother with lasting softness? Though the skin prodding at either lip was annoying and his fangs scratched at it for a moment before he spit out a bit of skin he managed to scrape off with his teeth.

“So,” he started, wiping his mouth with his jacket sleeve, “Rough day?”

The man gave a grunt, rolling his shoulders as he handed the vampire an envelope he knew held a nice wad of cash to last the month. The bloodsucker pocketed the money with an almost smug smile that was met with an amused glance. His ears tinted red for the expression being noticed and he shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“In a manner of speakin’, kid,” the man said, allowing some of his tension to leave and his shoulders sagged, “Business may be in a questionable position in a while but you’ll still be in the job. Someone’s possibly planning to buy us out. Or selling us out.” His face had a grim expression that he scrubbed away, hand sweeping over his face and rubbing at his cheek. “Just head down and fangs tucked. I’ll keep you fed, so try not to go outside too much for your little midnight snacks. You’re only a fledgling and there’s things going down that isn’t your kinds’ biz.”

 “Wow, boss, thanks for that. ‘Only a fledgling’.” The vampire snorted, nose crinkled in a slight scowl. He wasn’t as offended as he was playing it up to be, and he knew the other knew that, but he had been ‘only a fledgling’ for a few years now. It’s not a new thing to him. He continued: “Anyway, if it doesn’t involve ‘my kind’ then I can keep on keeping. Not my problem so I don’t care.”

“Yeah, well, _I do_. I’m not letting decades go down the shitpipe because of some newbie thinking they can run this city. I’m not going back to hell to a boring desk job and stupid fucking kids fucking around every goddamn corner. This sort of shit could make or break the system I’ve just put in place.”

“Wait a sec, hell is actually _shitty_ to _demons_?”

“It’s like Earth, but louder. And more New Age, hipster, party trash, loud, bullshit with most fucking new demons sucking dick for a soul rather than making actual deals.”

“I _definitely_ see the problem there.”

The amused smile on the vampire’s face didn’t show any sympathy for his demon boss who scowled.

“Don’t ever change, Geoff,” was the reply to the scowl, along with a larger smile.

“You know you’re also part of the new gen pieces of shit that I hate, right? I’m sure I’ve said that.”

“Only every time I show up for work with a coffee.”

“Don’t stop getting them for me.”

“Nah, never dude.”

Geoff gave a genuine smile though it was also strongly mixed with all the tiredness the man had. The talk must’ve been slightly relieving. That was good. The moment was short though because soon the people in white were finished and he was opening the door to his van and prepping to leave.

“Get home safe, Ray.”

With that final comment he started the van up and left. Ray waved at the van, seeing the lights disappear into a bunch of other lights down the road. There was one body left behind him. It wasn’t the freshest body so he understood why it was left behind. It didn’t bother him but it was still something he felt almost curious about, seeing the body so rigid and pale. The guy was definitely dead as a doornail and it fascinated him how much flesh could look like paper. And he caused that sort of thing to happen.

Ray wasn’t entirely sure if he could even feed without killing, his venom a slow killer itself so he never tried, but the sight of the dead always made him wonder for even a small while if it were ever something to be possible. Because if it wasn’t then his chances of ever getting laid had significantly dropped from the slight probability he could to absolutely never.

With those thoughts in mind, he just made him feel even more worn out with himself than he wanted to. The only thing making him feel even remotely okay with himself was when he dipped his fingers into the small bit of blood that pooled on the ground earlier, still wet but much colder than the warmth he swallowed, and he drew a mustache resembling Geoff’s one. There wasn’t enough blood to draw curly brows or a monocle so he forewent those and stood up, leaving the defaced body behind.

If anyone found the body, not even his fingerprints would be traced back to him. Like always, the dead people wouldn’t be missed. Their documents would be erased and the current dead body being the only proof would hardly be looked into. And autopsy would show they overdosed or something. Either way, another monster in the community would have to cover for him, not out of a sense of companionship but because that’s how things are run in their circles.

It was already late by the time he fed but because he had to walk a few blocks home he got back by a bit after midnight. His legs felt like jelly because there was a hill on the way back and it was alright to get down but a pain in the ass to get up so when he saw his sofa he could almost cry dramatically as he fell into it with a grunt. He could have made sweet love to the slight firmness of the sofa’s surface and the softness of the little cushions that were on it.

Vampires are nocturnal, his ass!

He had never felt anything close to feeling like he should just change his sleeping schedule for that myth. Not that his own sleeping schedule would have been correct by human _or_ vampire terms. Multiplayer servers on shitty video games he aced at left him without much sleep and a little less healthy than what an undead monster should really be.

Blood really shouldn’t be as important to him as it was but that’s what he got when he abstained from cooking even some two minute noodles. Really, he should be having a glass of red (blood) with his dinner every night. Instead he’s having three whole humans a night to last him at least two weeks. Three humans a day keeps the bloodlust at bay.

His whole vigilante killing spree was all caused by his laziness and inability to listen to his monster doctors. The amount of times they told him to just come in once a week to get a refill on blood bags so he didn’t have to feed. He tried it twice but it was all just a waste of time to him, and the blood tasted so bland like it actually was a few days old.

 _His_ way, he got rid of shitty people _and_ fresh blood sated him way more than blood bags. That information was something he had to find out himself because any information his doctors gave him went in one ear and out the other. If they made it sound more interesting then maybe he would have taken it into account. Hell, the first time becoming a monster he would have been interested to learn but still it all sounded so _boring_. Biology, blood, vampiric bullshit, they had to bring in textbook boredom into it. It could have been something legitimately interesting, maybe even fun, because he knew from experience that what he felt wasn’t really all that fun. Feeding wasn’t fun. Hiding away from normal people wasn’t fun.

But all that didn’t matter. Everything felt like it sucked but he was fed, a sated appetite keeping his stomach from rumbling any further, and absolutely exhausted. He had work tomorrow and it wasn’t at an early time but he didn’t want to fall asleep for his shift again. The fake nocturnal cycle he’d play on for kicks only got him so far during the day. Maybe he could fully integrate into being a shitty nocturnal bloodsucker. Just for shits and giggles. Maybe.

With that last slightly amusing thought and his brain running out of things to think about to keep him up he fell asleep.

 

The next morning the sun didn’t burn his brown skin to a darker crisp and he didn’t shy away too much from the bright light. Only enough to be deemed necessary. He only just woke up so it was still an irritating sight to have the sun shove itself so far into your retinas you’re seeing God. But he rubbed his eyes under the glasses he left on the night before, sitting up and stretching. His back creaked and his nose crinkled at the sound but he still got up to have a shower.

No water made his skin sting either. Another myth, busted. Still, the shower did him well and allowed him to wash the dried blood that still clung to his skin and he could remove the dirtied clothes to put in the machine so he could hang them by the time he finished work. He was lazy but he still had a sense of cleanliness. It was the only bit of order his personal life had now, everything else a huge mess since he turned vamp and started drinking up the blood of his newly made enemies for the night.

When he got out, he grabbed his glasses from the sink and wiped them with his towel that he hung around his neck so he could dry his hair. He lived up reasonably high so no one would see his junk if they peeked through his window while he strode his apartment pretty bare. Being fully nude always made him feel self-conscious, but partial nudity where he had some sort of fabric on his person in some sort of way just made him feel natural. Fine. He would play games in just a towel. It didn’t bother him. Even in front of people, he didn’t care so much.

Hell, he and Geoff had their fair share of views on each other and they laughed it off. But naked entirely, he was hightailing it right out of there. Again, Geoff had that pleasure of stumbling across that sight, and it was laughed off too, but that was when Ray felt like his privacy was invaded for a moment.

However there was no invasion of privacy, rather a moment where he could just feel natural. Or, more human. His skin hadn’t paled but he had an ethereal glow to it. Not some Twilight bullshit where his junk could be considered discoballs. He was glad for that. But he looked unnaturally and generically good looking. It was unnerving to have his face look so smooth, without any blemishes, no acne or small spots dotting his cheeks. He looked like something out of a movie; his brows were full rather than bushy, his facial hair perfectly lined up by the follicle, his eyes while baggy looked as if any look he gave could be misconstrued as something he wished he could’ve gotten as a regular human.

Weird didn’t cover shit like this. To even look decently normal he usually left his hair in disarray and forwent shaving altogether but it didn’t stop the weird attraction he saw in the mirror. Like, damn, _he_ would have banged himself. But maybe that was all just plain old narcissism rather than general aesthetic attraction to his reflection. And maybe he was just overthinking his looks, having felt something unknown changing him over the years since he turned. If not something internal, he had to blame it on something physical at least. Seeing was believing.

He entered the kitchen to grab a juice, mango and all its summer sweetness (no pulp either!), before he sprawled on the couch to watch some TV before he actually got changed to get to work. It didn’t provide as much of a distraction–the people who lived above him were either banging to a perfectly timed beat or the bass was ringing through the ceiling–but it’d have to do as he stretched more of his laziness out of his bones and drank from the bottle of juice he had.

He idly rubbed against the couch, either because he itched or because the pressure was something welcomed, but it wasn’t something to go hard and writhe about so there wasn’t much to do but watch the news flicker by unlike the minutes that felt so long and drawn out. No succubus on television was drawing his attention like it did for every other human to actually keep ratings high enough for news to actually be viable entertainment.

Hell, he would place the remainder of his soul on the possibility that there’d be some old guys giggling to themselves in a shitty retirement home because of the anchor’s cleavage. Ray could admit that she was pretty (hot), and he could feel her stare affecting him slowly, but it was altogether weak. All he felt was a need to get his clothes on and turn off the TV. He wasn’t going to indirectly sell his soul and have a monster feed on him, or at least his lust. That was pretty damn shady. (Cool, but still, shady.)

So, grabbing the remote, he turned off the sexy lady and went to his room to grab some clothes. It was an event that was a pain in the ass because he actually had to dress decently and not in some torn jeans and an accidentally bleached t-shirt that he thought looked more rustic. It was an aesthetic, he would explain, but no one took a guy who actually looked like a photogenic homeless person seriously.

It was just the regular guy starter pack of boxer briefs, jeans, and a shitty shirt probably from his last year as a senior. His growth slowed a while back, and it ceased completely after he turned vamp. So everything was comfortably sized, nothing baggy or tight. Like the little bear’s porridge, it was just right. He wished more things stayed just right for him. Everything had been ‘okay’ which, in his humble opinion, was a flight of stairs below just right. But he was sort-of-living as a monster, and it was safe too, so he was probably at least between ‘okay’ and ‘just right’. He was a cynic though, so maybe a few steps behind that.

He grabbed his shoulder-bag and stuffed a hoodie in there with his wallet and keys. His phone was tucked safe in his front pants pocket, ready to dial 911 whenever he got mugged on his way to work. But that was all melodrama; it’s just a comfy place to put a phone. And if he sat down he didn’t butt-dial anyone, or accidentally drop it in the public restrooms when he has to drop his pants. He was safe on the streets. Monster connections worked well that way.

His quick sweep of everything, eyes taking a gander over the slight mess of his apartment, he pushed up his glasses and locked his door. It’s almost funny how immediately after he did that, his phone buzzed with a text message. His boss liked to have excellent timing for a piece of shit lazyass demon and with a fond, still exasperated sigh he checked his phone as he walked down the stairs. One hand was on the railing, the other on his mobile device, and he scanned through pieces of text that was mostly complaints and spam until he got to the point. He snorted at the longwinded message and set to typing a reply.

“Woah, hey, watch out!”

Ray’s grip on his phone tightened on reflex but that didn’t stop the step he took into a box that was on a landing before the next set of stairs. His immediate thought was, ‘well then’, a slightly amused tone being conveyed in his head, but before comically rolling down the stairs he was caught. A cliché action but the not-so-cliché part was the fact that there was no regal catch or being embraced into safety.

He still hurt, winded, falling headfirst into the ground but his groin was cushioned by a chest and his stomach was still being dug into by a head. He rolled over, wheezing and still holding tight to his phone. His glasses felt like they were digging into his eyes so he took them off, wiping them while he lay on the ground like he could stay there for a little longer. His neck stung from his bag strap digging into it but that was something he could manage a lot easier.

Having a trip wasn’t something he was expecting and it wasn’t a holiday either. He felt like he bit his tongue, or at least a bit of his cheek, because some part of his mouth hurt and he wasn’t sure what. He rubbed at it to make sure it wasn’t dislocated or something. He’d had enough of shit like that.

“Sorry about that. All my junk is sort of in the way and I’m sort of the only one in the moving crew.”

The vampire rubbed his eyes, trying to blink because his head still hurt and throbbed a little, but when he looked up he didn’t expect a warm face dashed with worry and a large hand offering to help him up. This guy was so…something. Ray couldn’t place it yet because if his looks were unnaturally generic and good, this guy was a god.

The man had dusty gold hair that curled by his forehead and eyes to swoon for. His face was shaped like a block but wow was it chiseled to some perfection. The spray of stubble that was his light beard wasn’t uniform and it made him look rugged. Homely. He was the lumberjack Ray used to imagine himself being for the ladies back in high school. Now he was the one in awe of someone who was just like that and the thought that the guy was a supernatural being didn’t even cross his mind because he was taking the hand offered and letting the slow pulse thrum through his fingertips.

“Nah, man, I wasn’t paying attention,” Ray said, waving off the apologies.

He still wasn’t really paying attention, most of his line of sight dedicated to the man’s pectorals. The guy wasn’t stacked but those weren’t man boobs of fat either. Ray almost wanted to punch himself for focusing on that aspect but his eyes were kind of just there. No doubt he’d do the same for a woman taller than him—he didn’t discriminate—but he really had to draw his attention elsewhere that wasn’t the broad shoulders and handfuls of muscles on the man’s arms. Christ, he was thirsty. Both ways. Fuck his life up its needy ass.

“Did you need something? I have my fridge set up so I can get you an ice pack or maybe even a drink. I just want to really apologize about that, I should have been more careful of others who would be possibly coming down the stairs-“

“Hey, dude, it’s no biggie,” Ray interrupted with a small smile. He rubbed his head and it definitely still ached but he really needed to get to work. “I’ve got places to go to, but I’ll take the offer of a drink any time you’re up and still feeling apologetic.”

The man could only purse his lips, brows quirked as he gave an awkward and still apologetic smile. God, that wasn’t fair. Even _that_ sort of awkwardness from the guy looked nice. Maybe angels did exist. If demons did, why not?

“I’m apartment six and should be back by that time too,” Ray said, “Don’t use that information to take the time to break in though. I am true to my heritage and am dirt poor.”

He wasn’t even trying to flirt with the guy. Or trying to get him into his house. The words just all seemed to topple out as a request for the guy’s presence and he felt a little impressed with the fight or flight system he had going on for bangable conquests he could never have. (Goddamn fangs.) But the look the man gave, the moment of amusement and consideration passing his face, made Ray at least feel sort of smug.  Because if chicks couldn’t dig the charming boyish features he had suffered for years since turning then maybe a dick or two could throb his way.

“I’m James, by the way, but most call me Ryan,” the guy—James? Ryan?—introduced himself. Figured. It just sounded really nice, like it suited his face. Both names. But he looked more like a Ryan Guy.

“The name’s Ray,” he supplied in return, adjusting his bag and digging his hands into the pockets of his jeans, “And I’ve gotta go. But I’ll see you ‘round, neighborino.”

He had no idea what part of him thought that would even sound cool to say but it was said and he was turning on his heel with a short wave to make it down the final flight of stairs. Talk about awkward. At least, he made things feel awkward in his head when in actuality it all went pretty alright for interaction with a complete stranger. The familiarity would have scared him but instead he was more intrigued by devilishly handsome men and women whose smirk would make him whine in disagreement because how _dare_ they?! This time it was just the one man though who lived below him. Sweet.

Work seemed like something he could actually get through and he actually managed to hold a small smile while in the sun, pleased with himself. It would have been annoying if he didn’t look so bright and as adorable as a twenty-seven year old bodied man could get with monster blood in his veins.

 

It wasn’t surprising that Geoff immediately could tell that something happened to make Ray look like such a happy clam. The demon gave the vampire a few side-eyes before muttering under his breath about damn kids. Ray wasn’t even aware that he was so noticeably pleased when he turned up. He turned up, updated stock, made a few reports; he just did the desk job thing as soon as he walked into the building. The high of happiness he had didn’t die off immediately—it was the only thing getting him through his tiredness and the day—but stuck around, and apparently it was rubbing its ass in his boss’s face.

The only thing that didn’t change was the slowness of the day. Everything was significantly easier to deal with. Ray could file and edit report after report for Geoff and while the work done was great, even Geoff thought that the work Ray finished that he had to oversee was too much. He had tried to get Ray to stop and take a rest, or at least slow down, but the fledgling just had to move. He had to keep doing something to just exert all the pent up energy he had after bumping into Ryan.

Ryan, and his stupidly godly face and his stupidly golden hair.

It must’ve annoyed Geoff further that Ray would sigh wistfully every one or two reports to have those few seconds of that sigh to think about the guy who now lived below him. At that point Geoff just tossed the reports and told Ray to do them again, something he thought probably worked out for the both of them. He didn’t spend so much time pondering that though, going back to retyping sales while printing off some legal work.

He would’ve just saved the documents and then reprinted everything but Geoff didn’t like evidence and trails. Everything was recorded, stored with only two copies (one for the business and only the one backup Geoff kept safe), and never seen again. It was a tight ship with high level security, as it was with protecting all of monsterkind. It was rough but it was work and the fact Ray could stick around and stay up for hours touch-typing a lot of bullshit was probably the only reason why things got just a little bit smoother for the boss. It was the only reason why he had the job in the first place anyway.

Lunch couldn’t have come sooner but Ray wasn’t hungry, not even for blood pudding which was specially made for him by one of the ladies in Sales. This earned a head turn but he didn’t bother explaining, his own head turning to look at the horribly bright sun through his glasses. He absentmindedly scratched at his cheek, taking a sip of shitty flavored water as he wondered what else to do for the day.

The plan after work usually was to just finish, watch a few videos online, and then play multi on different servers to troll the shit out of ten year olds. He was getting too old for that sort of shit though. Technically, he was in his thirties already. He was reliving glory days after his own were forcibly taken away from him with a sip of blood he didn’t know he took until it was too late. But what really else was there to do when there was nothing else really out there for him?

He could go back to college maybe. Actually become something. But when he could kill someone with a bite or give away who he was with a smile or an appetite, things like being normal just wasn’t something he could do anymore. He wasn’t rich enough to change the opinions of his existence to anyone too so his future was in the hands of a devil. Literally.

The mental skim through the turns his life could have taken but didn’t was making his head throb unnecessarily, piling up on the dull throb that still remained from hitting it when he fell.

( _On top of Ryan_ , his mind whispered.)

He wished his head stopped thinking like his heart was supposed to stop beating, and not in reaction to seeing the man but actually because he was a vampire. He was undead. A monster. But that didn’t stop him from the one human feeling of excitement that ran through him, the possibility of getting to know another despite his insistent distance towards those who were human. Of course, it’s hard to completely avoid a good percentage of the population but he got by just knowing workmates and clients.

His fingers were drumming idly on the cafeteria table and he sighed again but he was pretty finished with his mental sulk of ‘how in the fuck is this going to work?’ with his new neighbor and possible friend (and hopefully somewhere down the line maybe even more).  He turned away from whatever spot he considered a staring point and put his attention back on the workmates he sat with.

One had left, something he didn’t know until his attention was back on what was happening, and the other stayed to just…stare at him. He wasn’t unnerved by it but he was briefly taken aback, brow furrowing. He wasn’t sure what to make of his workmate’s stare, her eyes seemingly piercing into his head. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand even though he was used to the whole sharp gaze that was directed at him every once in a while. It didn’t stop it from feeling like his thoughts were being invaded.

“So, who is Ryan?”

Which, technically they were.

“Dude, you have to stop that, I swear. I know it’s a whole succubus thing to sort of know those sorts of deets but damn I don’t need my sex or romantic life assessed right now,” Ray grumbled, rubbing his neck hairs down and turning away from the woman. She snickered, fingers crossing under her chin.

“It works to know what sort of service a customer wants. But really, you’re the one spacing out on me. I throw a dick ton of jokes and you didn’t even snort. That’s kind of offensive, man,” she said, sweeping a lock of blonde hair behind her ear and taking a sip of water from her bottle. “I mean, I think this is the sort of shit the internet would kick your ass about since I am the pro gamer grl—no ‘i’—and am hot and have boobs.”

“Very nice boobs, by the way.”

“Thanks, I grew them myself.”

A laugh was shared and Ray felt a little at ease for a moment, though he still felt a little sick. The hit on the head must’ve got him more than he thought.

“Tell me about the lumberjack though,” she said after a moment, crossing her legs and leaning a little closer, “Not my type—probably because he’s blond and I _hate_ blonde people—but I can appreciate the physique.”

“Don’t even get me started, dude,” Ray said, groaning and running a hand through his hair, “I am pretty fucking screwed.”

“So, wait, you guys already and never told me or-?”

“Oh, fuck no! I just met him today. Give me more credit than that.”

“I’d give you a ton of credit if you actually did after just meeting him.”

“Yeah, but that’s because you’re Sex Brain.”

“Gotta keep it comin’.”

“Same.”

They bumped fists as they made small jerking off motions and Ray had to run his hand over his face because this was ridiculous. But he finally got to talk about it properly and it made him giddy and he wanted to spill everything but Ryan was just a pretty stranger with a name so he couldn’t make too many assumptions. Yet. But he could always continue daydreaming out of Barbara’s line of brainwaves so that she wouldn’t know what made him tick that way. She knew too much already. Bitch.

“Really though,” Ray started, “He’s a new guy to the building and I tripped over his boxes and fell on top of him-.”

“Bow chika bow wow.”

“Goddammit, Barb, no, this isn’t some porno.”

“You wish it was.” And she winked. And Ray could only flush, frustrated with himself and because he wished his life was that simple. Pathetically, poorly scripted, unfortunately simple.

“He offered a drink for making me trip up but I sort of pussied out and came straight to work when I could have been a couple hours late, give or take a few more minutes because I would have dropped by to the café just to be later.”

“Or take him there.”

“True,” he conceded.

He sighed and leaned back in the bright orange plastic chair he sat on. It leaned and he almost fell but all it would do was make his head feel worse and that was good enough for him. He wanted to stop pining after a human stranger. Regarding the guy’s sexuality of ‘maybe straight’ Ray had no problem stepping down and just being a friend to the new kid in the building. He wasn’t a complete shit. He said a few things that were horribly incorrect but those were jokes. Things he toned down over the years of integrating into the whole monster crew.

The primary thing of worry was definitely the vampire thing though. It was dangerous. Plus Ray was sure they guy was probably technically younger than him and that left for a moral weirdness that he still had some touch with. They were adults, but he was thirty-blank and that wasn’t really something nice to think about. It just reminded him of the eternal youth bullshit he was dealt when he became a bloodsucker. And he didn’t want to remember those beginning times much. They were painful and sickening and he was supposed to be very much over it.

“Stop worrying,” Barbara interrupted any other thought Ray had. It worked because it was said in the same deep voice as his new sort-of-neighbor and that just wasn’t fair because a shiver went down his spine and if there was something he couldn’t conceal it was the small hunch of his shoulders and the rise of his chest that fell too quickly. God damn, Barb.

“Don’t do that, man, you’d give a guy a heart attack,” he complained. He rubbed at his reddening cheeks and thought about there being no place like home, away from the succubus who was just leaking amusement and curiosity that made her want to push further with his fantasy and him to just want to die a second time.

“More like, _hard_ attack.” She waggled he brows and only grinned at the deadpan expression on Ray’s face. “You love me.”

“As long as it stays as this version of you, sweet, but don’t do that with Ryan. I’ll leave that sort of shit to whatever sick things I can dream up.”

“Dude, you’re supernaturally awesome looking, like me,” she said with a grin, punching Ray’s shoulder playfully, “Just go for it. Yolo, right?”

Ray scoffed, returning the grin.

“Get meme’d, Dunkleman.”

“Any time. Meme is code for jizz now, right?”

Ray laughed, sighing as he rubbed his head again. The headache he was growing hurt a lot less but he still felt exhausted. He didn’t get that much sleep so it wasn’t a feeling he wasn’t used to. Barbara seemed amused by it, the corner of her mouth curling as she nudged Ray. Thinking about it, actually talking about what had happened earlier also wore him out because that was just way too much thinking for what he was used to doing. He wanted to just take a nap and let his mind wander a bit more.

“Go talk to Geoff. He’s wanted you to get out for a while, making things run so smoothly by actually doing your job.” She smiled, amused as if she knew what he was thinking. She probably was zoning in on his sexy thoughts again. His sexy thoughts suck, giving him away all the time. “He’ll let you go early today.”

He could only nod in response to that suggestion, snorting as he stood and let Barbara kiss his cheek goodbye. He made his way into Geoff’s office, not even knocking, and dumped himself unceremoniously into the chair in front of his desk. The demon’s eyebrow raised, not suspicious but curious. Ray usually dropped by to annoy his boss but that usually involved more action than dumping himself in a chair and staying there. There usually was a lot more planning and involvement than that.

“Is something wrong?” he asked carefully, straightening himself in his own seat.

“Apart from the whole tired thing, you’ve already noticed I’m pretty fuckin’ chill. Got home late so it’s the usual. I was wondering if I could have the rest of the day off just to play it off and pass out.”

“ _Christ_ , I have been waiting for you to leave since you made me actually do work.” The grin Ray received was a playful one though and even he managed a smile through the furrow of his brow. Blessing was for angels so curse Geoff so many times.

“Thanks, bossman. I’ll be my lazy ass self tomorrow. Maybe bring my DS,” Ray said, getting up to move from Geoff’s desk to his own in front of the man.

“Nah, don’t sweat it. I still have the shit ton of work you completed. I’ll do them tomorrow and then we can be behind on work the day after. Enjoy the day off. Spill some beer and get some killstreaks for me,” Geoff said with a wave of his hand. Ray straightened his back after collecting his bag under his desk. “I’ll send Linds up with some of that weirdass pudding shit you like.”

“Sleeping more doesn’t make you look any younger, Geoff,” Ray said, waving goodbye as he walked out the double doors. He could feel the finger being flipped behind his back and grinned.

 

Arriving home was more of a relief than what Ray thought when he first left work. The walk up the stairs wasn’t obstructed by boxes anymore and he saw Ryan the New Guy slowly unpacking through the apartment door that was left ajar. He was talking so he guessed there was someone helping him unpack. Ray thought about knocking and asking if any more help was needed but he just went back to his own place to dump himself on his couch. He didn’t want to bother the guy, even just to be a friendly dude.

He was on his couch by 4:53 and he felt like the weight on him just fell through or eased up when his face met the plush firmness of the furniture. It was odd to have that high that lasted all morning just die late afternoon but home was a comfort that he enjoyed. He could strip off, which he did, and just slump back into the couch. He wasn’t down to his boxers, only just taking off his shirt and kicking off his shoes to get at least a bit more comfortable. It was a lot warmer in his apartment than it was inside, his place just soaking up the heat and trapping it. Insulation sucks.

The heat wasn’t getting to him but he hadn’t really eaten at work so he made himself get up to grab a bear and some chips. He’d order some take out later. For now, his munchies would be sated by some regular ol’ human grub. He didn’t want to keep track of his next hunt but he should be alright to just have Chinese for a while. Or pizza. God, he was still such a college student. He was in his goddamn thirties and still living on takeout! He needed to get his life together. He was too lazy to get it together though. Sloth may be something he just picked up off of his boss, the fucker.

He took a swig of beer and frowned, nose scrunching slightly. Yep, still bitter as ever. He wasn’t overly fond of inhibitors but to wind down he’d indulge. Especially through the stuffiness of the room, the ice-cold beer was a bit more of a wakeup call than any glass of water. So he kicked back, enjoyed the disgusting taste, had a few corn chips to wash that fluffy feeling in his mouth away, and repeated while he played Call of Duty. It was an easy game, one he played for longer than should be necessary, and it helped his shoulders slump to a relaxing sort of way while his fingers jerked and pressed at sticks and buttons.

Ray didn’t know how long he was playing for but soon enough his apartment was a tad cooler and the sun was setting over other taller buildings and a warm orange light was filtering through the open windows. He stood up to close them, regretting the missing warmth as the cold crept over his skin and made it prickle with goosebumps.

He made an attempt to search for his shirt after pulling the blinds when there was a knock on his door. He wondered if that was Lindsay because a quick check of the time showed work would have been officially over by now. It was almost weird to be home earlier than that. But with Lindsay came bloody food so he could mull over everything later after he was fed.

He slid over the floorboards, his socks making him shuffle across smoothly, before finding his way to the door and opening it. Lindsay was there alright, red hair a bit brighter than ever as her redder lips curled into a smile. In her hands were a bag of food that Ray knew he would get and was more than happy to receive and he would have grinned right back if not for the fact her other hand was holding the elbow of one Mr Ryan.

Well fuck.

“Linds!” Ray greeted halfheartedly, eyes throwing a glare that made her own eyes twinkle. This is what you get when a succubus tells a harpy everything.

“Hey, Rayman,” she said, smug-looking while Ryan look confused, “This guy mentioned your apartment so I brought him up. Got your favorite food, by the by, so shit is pretty tight. Hope you’re feelin’ a-okay after leaving work early.”

Ryan’s brow rose, no doubt wondering if it was the falling incident that made Ray turn in quick for the day. To clarify in his head, no, it wasn’t the buff guy’s fault. He wished it was for a while because Ryan shuffled and looked awkward; maybe he was thinking it was his fault. A little shot of pity made its way into Ray’s gut but he turned his attention back to the harpy.

“You’re a dirty gem, Lindsay,” he replied, a slight snarl at her that made her grin wider as he jerked his head for them to come in while he stuffed the food in the fridge. He didn’t want Ryan to see it. He was human so seeing blood pudding and liver casserole probably wasn’t the best thing to view.

Lindsay strolled in and dumped herself on the couch while Ryan followed behind her, taking a hesitant seat beside her. Ray could see it from the corner of his eye and it made the corner of his mouth twitch in amusement for the guy. It didn’t last long because he could still see the smirk on Lindsay’s face who hid it behind the open beer that Ray had on the coffee table. He rolled his eyes and grabbed two more bottles from the fridge. One more was left in the pack and he made note to hit Geoff up for more to just keep himself stocked on something that everyone asks for next to snacks.

“How was work, by the way?” Ray called from the kitchen, Tetris-ing his way through his fridge that beeped at him when it was left open for a while. He still tried to find a way to fit the bag of goods but he ended up having to separate them with some going in the fridge and some in the freezer. The storing was alright though, he supposed.

“The usual; Geoff is sleeping, Barb is gossiping, and I am still steadily growing rich because it is so easy to take what I need form under Geoff’s nose,” she said, gesturing her beer bottle towards him. He laughed as he closed the fridge and then moved to his room to grab a shirt. He made his way back, rolling the edge over his stomach and earning a few eye brow wiggles from Lindsay who snickered.           

It shouldn’t be any surprise that she moved closer to the arm of the couch so Ray had to sit next to Ryan. Ray shot a slightly amused look at Lindsay before sitting down and offering a beer to Ryan who took it with a thanks and a smile that made Ray feel like an idiot. Damn his undead heart. Just when he thought he was playing it cool. He turned his attention back to Lindsay.

“Dude, you’re gonna be fucked if the bank finds out that these transactions are technically illegal, even if Geoff signed off on it without knowing,” Ray mused. She shrugged it off and waved her hand at the subject like it didn’t matter.

“Meg’ll cover for me,” she replied as if that was the ultimate answer. Ray knew it was probably the only response he was going to get on it too. Working directly under the boss sort of puts a damper on knowing all the juicy shit that goes on, not that he really cared to begin with but being part of it made him feel better. She moved on from the subject by turning to Ryan and continuing with a, “I’m Lindsay, by the way. I work with Ray at one of those shitty offices downtown. No big or anything.”

“Figured through the conversation,” Ryan replied, still looking nervous. Ray could practically feel it from him, ears perking to the irregular heartbeat and almost able to taste the blood through the perspiration. That was…not normal. And Ray had to shift a bit closer to Lindsay to stop himself from leaning closer to Ryan who continued speaking to introduce himself.

“I’m a new resident, live just downstairs,” he said, “I…don’t really work currently. I just moved so I’m trying to get my bearings first.” He gave a polite smile and he took a swig from his bottle of beer before looking back down at the ground shyly. Ray felt a lot less intimidated by the guy feeling the awkwardness seep from his biceps. The playing field Lindsay so graciously set felt a lot more level now.

“I’ve lived here for years so you don’t really get used to the place. Though that’s probably only me. You’ll get there, dude,” Ray replied, watching Ryan out of the corner of his eye. Ryan was fidgeting a little but mostly his hands kept moving, fingers tracing the neck and rim of the bottle. Well, damn Ray’s undead dick as well. The vampire shifted slightly.

“Hey, you know, if you’re looking for work maybe we could hook you up,” Lindsay put in, noticing how Ray was being. _Men_ , was a thought of hers that made her roll her eyes.

“I don’t want to impose or anything. I’m fine with my classes already,” Ryan said, shaking his head and holding up his hand in that polite ‘no thanks’ gesture people do when they’re flustered. He didn’t even look so red in the cheeks but Ray could tell he was heating up, his blood humming to him louder at the kindness shown by the harpy who was only just being meddlesome.

“Nah, come on, man, what do you do?” she urged with a friendly grin.

“Y’think Geoff would take him on though?” Ray said carefully. They had humans at work but it was very creature dominated. And, thinking it over, Ray didn’t want someone like Ryan surrounded by that sort of mess.

“Sure! If your bud here has some of the skills required.”

“I suppose I work some IT deals, but that’s all sort of just a self-employed thing where people call me and I fix them up. I don’t know; I’ve been a studier for a while,” Ryan answered Lindsay.

“If you give us a card we can call you up when we need you then, and if you do good then maybe we could hire you permanently. I know the girl who does the whole hiring biz. She’s a friend of ours.”

“Oh! Wow, uh, thanks?” Ryan laughed. “I didn’t really expect things to go this fast and this easy so quickly after I got here.”

“Bump into Ray more often, injure him a bit, and maybe more good shit will come,” she joked, sending a wink off to Ray who shot a glare.

“I’m really sorry about that, by the way,” Ryan said, turning to Ray, “I should’ve been more careful. I had so much and I was being thoughtless then.”

The sincerity in the apology was so sweet and absolutely cute given the lumberjack look. The fact that Ryan was in his house was enough to give Ray heart palpitations but all of the politeness to come with that package he found visually appealing…Ryan’s personality was almost overwhelming. He looked like too much of a college hunk really, defined facial features and eyes that sparkled for no reason. Ray should have picked up on it immediately after bumping into him but he was too busy looking at firm pectoral muscles to really process much other than how much he needed to get out of the awkward situation before he popped a boner.

“I told you then, didn’t I? It’s fine. You just owe me another drink for the one I gave,” Ray said after a moment of just trying to determine what Ryan’s deal was. Lindsay may have been in the room but he didn’t give a fuck because he was almost completely quizzical about the guy. And it was hard for Ray to be this confused, having so many years under his belt for his look to know that people are more difficult than monstrous creatures. They’re too complex when they’re normal.

“I’ll try to figure something out,” Ryan replied. His lips curled in an almost playful way and Lindsay must’ve noticed because after Ryan turned his head away she nudged Ray hard in the ribs and he had to stop himself from coughing. His options were to either take the gesture as a flirtation or just let his own pining eat himself up inside. While both options seemed impossible he wanted to fall hard on the latter to save himself the trouble. He let himself return a small smile back. Yolo.

Lindsay continued to initiate small talk and Ray indirectly found out bits and pieces of Ryan. The discovery wasn’t completely one-sided, Ray divulging his own bullshit life to the other. He wasn’t even expecting anything out of Ryan, hoping to find some thrill through coy glances and friendliness. He couldn’t exactly do anything with a human after all so he was pretty reserved, he thought. But he felt that too soon they were friends, something he didn’t really think was ever going to be a factor.

The small crush because the man was visually appealing was supposed to be something decently far, a person to swoon for when they walked passed, so while Ray was nervous he was also pretty fucking pleased. He had to thank Lindsay later for making things smooth over far better than Ray ignoring the man for a video game while they tried to get to know each other. Silence didn’t help.

It was late when Lindsay checked her phone and Ryan yawned. Ray’s stomach growled lightly, unheard, thankfully, so he perked up a bit when by obligation they sort of had to leave. It was ten! He wanted to get his eat on before bed even though it was told to be unhealthy. He drank blood though so he supposed he didn’t have to worry about that sort of thing too much. His health relied on him living so he was good for a while, but solid food sat and left his barely working digestive system to be sated until the weak acid of his stomach had done its thing and absorbed the nutrients. He failed at whatever class in school that was supposed to teach him about such systems.

“I will,” Ryan started slowly, walking out the door, “see you around, I guess.”

God, let him stay a night sometime.

“Don’t feel obligated,” Ray replied with a snort, leaning on the doorframe. He still smiled. “I have beer though and I don’t really drink.”

“Do you have a favorite drink then? Maybe we could exchange.” Ryan gave shrug and Ray’s heart must’ve stopped because he almost choked on a breath. He licked his lips instead.

“You’ll need it more than me,” Ray said, the corner of his mouth twitching as he tried not to laugh at himself in derision. _‘Way to play that secret smooth, idiot.’_ He quickly moved on with, “I’ll catch you around, though.”

“Or maybe it’ll be the other way around again,” Ryan said as he turned to walk downstairs. He gave a small wave and Ray definitely caught a small, almost shyly smug smile. This man is going to be the death of him.

Ray closed the door and leaned against it for a moment. His stomach wouldn’t stop turning so much that he was sure to up-chuck if he ate. His fingers were fidgeting, drumming against his thigh as he thought of what to do. He looked down at himself.

Lazily jerking off seemed about right.     

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Action coming. Prep yourselves, audience.  
> 


	2. The Jack of All Trades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad things happen and only one person has all the answers that are applicable to the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**CW: decapitation, vomiting/emetophobia - extending to that is vomiting blood, and needles.** _

Work went slowly and the vampire was really digging the thought of a late night meal. It had been a while since his last proper feed and he was aching for something warm and sweet to touch his tongue. It made his stomach growl and a lazy demon’s ears perked up to the sound before throwing a muesli bar at his head. The young monster only groaned and shook his head, the bar falling beside him. He didn’t reach over to pick it up and eat it. He was too lazy to, and like he could eat that dry snack when he wanted to _drink_.

Ray’s desk was cluttered with paperwork he had already gone through but held no motivation to pass onto his boss. Cold coffee sat precariously near the edge and a book threatened to nudge it off. His head was bowed on top of some files and when he lifted it he managed to collect the mug and put it on the floor, only to kick it when he bent down to loot his bag of another game. Solitaire on his computer was a last resort, and minesweeper was pure unbridled desperation, so he shuffled through various generic games before settling on something he had already played a few hours earlier.

Only a few hours left now – he had to stay the whole day this time around – and he was buzzing to drink. The blood supplements just weren’t the same, the addicting taste he craved not there, so he ended up whining as he slurped it down, a childish pout on his face as he stared at the corner of his monitor that held the time. As he clicked the time, he watched the analog clock that popped up and saw the seconds tick by. Things felt so lifeless and dull as his fingers mashed to his game and his eyes scanned the measurements of the seconds.

His phone buzzed and he quickly snatched it up to catch the text that was sent to him. He knew who it was and he would have felt parts smug and giddy if it weren’t for the fact he was pretty damn bored. Ray still smiled, relief and happiness on his face, as he scanned through it. It didn’t surprise him that it was Ryan but it did make him feel a lot more at ease having the man unintentionally pull him out of deathly boredom. Through his tired eyes, Ray still grinned wide.

It had been almost a month since he had met Ryan and the guy seemed to really blend in well with the company. They weren’t the most professional, mind you, but he was a good bridge between the monster workers and the human ones. Not that he knew which was which. He remained in the dark like the others but that didn’t stop him from still being that little bit of help.

Ryan worked with the computers, upgrading a quarter of the building within the first week he was hired. And that was the time that he was given before Geoff took him on board fully as an official employee. The human was to stay in the areas with all the other humans, of course, but outside of the offices Ray had invited Ryan for a little get-together to celebrate the job.

It was a small event, Ryan meeting a few people he would get to know further through work and also partaking in a few rounds of Just Dance, but it was fun. Having a handful of people seemed like the perfect amount for it. He even stuck around to help clean up after everyone left. He didn’t have to either but he still stayed and that alone made Ray feel all kinds of happy, a smile hidden behind a couch cushion. His cheeks felt hot but it was nothing that could be spotted under his skin.

Ray was tired on the couch, the hype of the party draining his introverted self, but while Ray laid there cradling a packet of chips he and Ryan just talked. Ryan would pick up trash while Ray would tell him his own reviews on certain games. There was talk of their families and their lives before being drafted into Geoff’s bullshit of a business but it was relaxing. Amusing, even. And it made Ray’s heart flop even more now that he was getting to know Ryan.

The text received was brief. Ryan said he was leaving late to do a small thing. Ray shrugged as he read over it, not really wanting to process what needed to be done because, hey, that wasn’t his department. He texted back, a message to say that it was cool and how he was going out after work anyway, and the reply was a simple question mark.

Ray had no idea how to play off the fact he was a hungry vamp with no control over the venom that sedates his victims before he drinks them up. Also, that very same venom kills them after. Sure, those he drank weren’t missed. If anything, they were used to their full potential after. Their bodies would help other young hungry monsters, or creepy scientists and surgeons, after death. He was helping the economy.

‘ _just gonna chill out dude_ ’

He sent it before he could even read it over and take it back. It felt too vague, and rude, and he wished it didn’t sound like that. He couldn’t tell Ryan the truth though. Or, he wouldn’t. Because he _can_ but Ray could only think that it wouldn’t be the best conversation to have, ever. But what was done was done and his phone buzzed again with an ‘ _ok_ ’ and Ray groaned and rubbed his eyes because he probably just fucked up something and made Ryan hate him, or worse, worry about him.

 

Ray wiped his chin of the slosh of alcohol that dribbled down it. The alcohol was doing nothing for him, no affect to make him carry a nice high or a crushing low. He’d welcome either of them but they never came. So instead he sighed and kept them coming until he felt a little something. His little area was kept clear of all the drink he had accumulated, like a punch card where he would drink many get many free, but he could still feel the prickle of a stare piercing his neck and running down his back. It made him shudder and he thought that he found his meal ticket tonight.

He stood, stumbling a little because he hadn’t gotten up since he sat down, and walked out towards the back exit. He could pick up the slimy sweat like a taste in the air. Their blood wouldn’t be great, he thought. It would most likely taste more of salt that sweetness. Beggars can’t be choosers though, so when his wrist was grabbed he acted quickly and turned around to snap his teeth around his victim’s neck.

The man was heavy, thick necked, and would look nice if he didn’t smell so putrid and look gruesome with a drunken lustful leer. Ray was pushed up against the alley wall opposite the exit when the man blanked from shock and slumped against him. Ray struggled with pushing the body, wishing that some Hollywood vampire awesomeness would rush to his aid, but even though it didn’t he still managed to push the body off onto the ground, coming down on him and feeding off of his large body messily. Blood ran down his throat as he drank, mouth smeared red, and he wasn’t the best tasting but the supply was endless with this lug.

The vampire struggled to find himself, trying to snap out of it so that he could contact Geoff and the cleanup crew. His hand reached into his back pocket for his phone and he fished it out, squinting into the blaring light that is most cellphones of the day. He couldn’t help but snarl as he just vied for calling his boss rather than a text. The light was too bright and his head was pounding as his teeth dug deeper into the flesh until it tore with a nasty sound when he lifted his head. He would have spat out the meat but it was so juicy and he chewed, slow and with the same sort of relish that came with gnawing on bubble gum.

Something was wrong. Something tasted off. It wasn’t normal. It was too addicting. He had only needed a small fresh meal. He was hungry for the sweet elixir of life he lived off but what he was feeling was like a dangerous addiction. It made him want to descend upon the torn carcass, rip the neck and slurp the spleen. A feral aggression was taking over him and he had enough of a mind to fear it, hands covering his mouth as his teeth tried to chew through his fingers to get to the leaking body.

His body was shaking, ragged breaths taken as his nails found the pavement and scratched across it. It hurt and it was keeping him awake while saliva spilled to the ground and his pupils dilated. His stomach gurgled and to stop it he wished he could throw up. He wanted to yell at himself, a growl already bubbling in his throat, but he remained firm through the wracking of his frame. He blinked out the perspiration and focused on one spot while fatigue crept up on him, threatening to make him let loose like the bloodlust he was feeling wanted him to do.

“Two birds with one stone, here.”

Ray looked around, head spinning, and saw three people walk from out of the shadows. Where they there the whole time? He didn’t know but he sure as hell didn’t notice them until now and within the first sighting of them he felt his stomach turn uncomfortable, even with the slosh of tainted blood and soul filling his belly already. It didn’t feel right and the vampire found himself cowering, feet scrambling to try and get up but he just couldn’t. Moving was difficult and soon a person was walking towards him.

“Behead the cannibal before it wakes up.”

The other two didn’t speak like the leader did and seemingly out of nowhere a cleaver was in the hand of each shadow and chopping away. The body coughed, eyes widening, and Ray was sure he killed the man, his venom deadly, but apparently not. No, this was not right. Not at all.

They were all in mostly black, messy looking with ripped clothes and weapons at their backs. Regardless of who they were, or what they were, there was muscle in their arms and shaggy hair peeking from their hoods. Except for the one that was in front of Ray, all torn jeans showing muscular thighs and a hooded vest giving a show of scars and hair on their arms. No doubt this one was the leader at all and there was no questioning why. Their scent gave it away too. There was something in the blood. Ray could almost taste it. And he wasn’t sure if it was good or not.

“You’ve done us a service, incapacitating this guy for us. It’s a shame we can’t let you go just like that,” the person above Ray spoke, reaching to grab the vampire roughly by the jaw. “A life for a life is a fine trade, especially a monster life for another monster life, but you’re not sinless either.”

Ray was choking for breaths, scared and still hungry, eyes a flash and teeth shining and itching to break into the skin of the person’s hand.

“I-,” he started to speak but the hand tightly gripping his jaw held him tighter. “I don’t know who the fuck you guys are- just- if this is a monster territory thing, I’m sorry, I didn’t know!”

“’Monster territory’.” The person laughed and it sounded almost hearty if it weren’t for the bitter look that passed their mouth and the bright eyes Ray could make out from under their hood. “I guess we’re all monsters in the end, if we’re involved in this sort of shit.”

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on alright! I just feed on seedy guys who do shitty things! I’m not- I’m not a murderer or anything! Like, not really but still I-!”

Ray didn’t get any say because there was a cleaver at his throat and he was feeling parched from just talking his way out of dying a second time. He wasn’t sure if this was going to become a traumatic experience but he did think that he wouldn’t forget this moment for a while.

“Head is bagged, boss,” one of the hooded henchmen said, raising a large bag for inspection.

“Great. Toss it in the truck; holy water and fire combo when we get back.”

“You got it, boss.”

“Now where was I?”

“Killing me?” Ray croaked, breathless as the blade was felt against his skin. He wanted to avoid swallowing down his fear in case he cut himself.

“I appreciate your honesty.”

The guy about to kill him stopped short though, blade raised above his head and staying in that pose as a vehicle parked right outside of the alleyway. Everyone there probably hoped for a human, wishing upon the Veil to cover their eyes of their presence. They didn’t exist. But Ray was also half wishing they would see that it wasn’t a monster of the night being attacked but a person with a life who admittedly kills other people that sort of deserve it. Even monsters have morals, and nipping the disgusting human at the bud is a good thing.

The two companions to the leader slowly backed away, disappearing into the dark backend of the alley, while the leader waited. The blade lowered and they took a step back, their stance defensive and low. There was a dim light and some beeping, most likely and definitely a phone, and a silhouette leaned on the front of the car with their legs swinging while the dialed a number. Probably a drug deal in the works, both the vampire killer and the vampire thought together, and the leader just laughed softly before standing straight and getting back to the scene at hand.

“No more interruptions,” they said.

 They raised the knife, completely ready to swing down and take the trophy of a fledgling head, but no interruptions meant more as Ray’s phone rang loud and clear through the alley. It almost hurt Ray’s ears, and it definitely hurt the hooded monster murderer, but the vampire was too weak to do more than just move away and try and scurry for the car.

“There you are!”

Ray gasped because that voice wasn’t the cleaver guy.

“Geoff!”

The vampire’s boss stepped away from the car, phone being tucked back into his jacket pocket. His face was scrunched in aged concern and Ray could have kissed the demon if he wasn’t scared shitless and completely thirsty. Geoff knelt beside Ray and gave him a once over before looking at the dark figure with the gleaming blade. The demon’s eyes shone, wild and bright, as he stood up and straightened out his blazer. Ray knew he wasn’t leaving but he still wanted Geoff next to him because nothing felt right. It was too unreal, something sprung on him like a bad plot twist for his life after having so much good happen. And he didn’t want Geoff to be in danger.

“Don’t! That guy- he’s-!”

“It’s okay, kid,” Geoff reassure Ray with a small smile. The smile didn’t make Ray feel any better. It made him feel a little more scared. Like the danger being faced…it was definitely real.

“Oh, _come on_. A _sloth demon_? Damn, this seems real easy; never had a better hunt than this!”

Ray’s head was still buzzing. Sloth demon? There were types? What the fuck was going on? He wasn’t so sure about anything but he knew that he had to move closer to the car. He did do that, inching back bit by bit while Geoff and the other guy were having a stare-off.

“Still a demon,” Geoff replied with a snort.

With a click of his fingers the shadows seemed to melt and take the hooded hunter with them. The hunter seemed to be impressed, a grin flashing across his features, bright and smug, before his cleaver came down upon the slimy shadows and sliced across them. He kicked the smaller blobs of slime off his boots before walking back further into the alley. He waved his cleaver, a dangerous goodbye, before kicking off a wall and jumping over the wire fence that cut the alley off and fleeing.

Geoff turned back to Ray who was leaning against the car door with a paler face and sweat breaking out all over him. He was shivering, still scared, and not believing what had just happened. A man was beheaded and he was close to being the same as well. His life was in danger just moments earlier and he had never experienced something like that ever. Not even when he died the first time. The risk of perma-death via murder was never something he had expected and it just made him feel less unreal.

His boss put a large comforting hand on his shoulder and Ray just leaned into his arm and blanked completely after that.

 

_“Well, that’s definitely one way to debut their invasion!”_

_“Every single goddamn decade I have to deal with these shitty threats and this time I’m actually interested in drawing this out.”_

_“Geoff, no; one of ours legitimately almost died. Do I have to remind you we also have humans working with us? Humans like me? Humans who help work with you and some of whom know what you all are but wish for some sort of normalcy? Because I can’t keep doing this for much longer.”_

_“Jesus, calm down, alright?! Fuck, I need a drink. And a nap.”_

_“Maybe after we sort this shit. But right now-.”_

_“Jack. Please.”_

A sigh was cast and a door was shut when Ray finally shifted to consciousness. His head throbbed and his throat was terribly dry but without prompting something was lifted to his lips and spilled into his mouth so sweetly. It didn’t taste like it had life to it, not like from the vein of a living being, but it still was bloody and good and hydrated him a lot more than any water could do.

“Woah there!”

He snatched it away, reaching for it before he could even see it, and downed it greedily. He made a mess and struggled to catch a breath but he was up and awake and rubbing his eyes with bloody hands under a dirty long sleeve. He found bits of clean material to properly get the dirty and tiredness out of his eyes but the light of a room was still something he squinted through. His back creaked as he straightened up, legs hanging off of the edge of a clean white bed.

“You’re undead, not superhuman. Slow down a little.”

Ray found himself starting to after a moment of dizziness, his hand reaching out before someone steadied him. Geoff.

“Hey, bossman,” Ray greeted weakly, running a hand over his face. His glasses weren’t there so no wonder why things looked blurrier than usual but everything cleared up when Geoff put the glasses on Ray, the specs sort of hanging awkwardly off the tip of his nose. He pushed them up and looked around.

“Where are we?” he asked.

“Basement,” Geoff answered, “Usually where we take the bodies you feed from and sort them out to sell.”

“So this bed…”

“Has had _undead_ in it. Not the actual dead thing. We patch up monsters too, not just supply for them.”

“Oh.”

He looked down, fingernails still caked in blood. At least the taste of roofie-blood wasn’t sticking to the roof of his mouth, the generic taste of bagged goods running by him just fine. It didn’t stop him thinking about how off it tasted. How sweet and sick it was. The memory didn’t sit as well in his stomach as the refreshing blood he received did. He looked to Geoff with a look the old demon could only look pitifully at. Ray looked at him with cautious curiosity.

“I know more than you but I’m not telling you more than your own situation,” Geoff said firmly, “This is my business officially. You’re only involved as far as an attempt on your life, understood?”

Ray didn’t really but he knew the gist of it was that he had to shut up and not ask more questions than he had on his tongue that were ready to spill. He nodded.

“Alright then,” Geoff said, shifting and fidgeting with his jacket. He looked reluctant to even tell Ray anything but he owed the fledgling that much. He was the one that had a knife against his throat with a second death awaiting him if the demon had not caught up. Geoff coughed behind his fist and began: “So, you just stumbled into some hunters.”

There was a pause.

“Seriously? That’s all you’re going to tell me?” Ray wasn’t furious but he could feel his head getting hotter in the start of frustration. He almost died for that sort of explanation? He wanted more answers and he could tell that Geoff knew as well.

“Look, we don’t know their identities, there are a number of churches around if they are religiously affiliated, and everything relating to them and not you is officially Head of Community business. That means not you, Ray.” Geoff wasn’t ranting or trying to act superior, but Ray knew when his boss meant business. And this was one of those times. The fatigue was clear from the demon’s eyes, age and power more apparent with his air than it was through the creases in his face. Things have changed.

“What about the guy I ate? What’s with him?” Ray badgered. He knew that something was off about the man. The way he tasted was far from normal.

“Well, what do you know of him? Blood tests show human but we have no body to test.”

“What?”

“Yeah, there wasn’t a body. Not a chunk of flesh. We can’t identify what they needed with him. Your venom…?”

“They…” Ray licked his lips, eyes squeezed shut while he tried to think through the static of his brain. “They said cannibal. So, like, some Hannibal Lector bullshit?” He looked at Geoff was pacing, arms crossed and hand over his mouth as he thought.

“Officially no midnight snacks, Ray.”

“ _What?!_ ”

“That’s an order from your boss, got that?” Geoff looked sharply at Ray who winced under his stare. He nodded and Geoff sighed. “I’ll have Lindsey get you three bags a week during work hours. She’ll pick you and Ryan up and escort you both to and from work. I’ll get Barbara to email staff. There’s some vague danger on the streets. Something to keep everyone together. I’ll contact chief of police, or even have Jack do it-.”

“Geoff?”

“ _What?_ ” the demon snapped. Ray didn’t flinch this time and despite still feeling weak he reached out, leaning forward slightly, and gave his boss’ cheek a light slap. It made Geoff blink out of it for a moment and he ruffled Ray’s head with an almost hurt expression.

“I’m sorry about what happened.”

“It wasn’t your fault-.”

“Yes, it was,” Geoff interrupted, running his hand over his face, “I knew that there was something right around the corner and then- I screwed up by being lazy. I won’t be anymore.” He walked towards the door, opening it to leave. “Jack will come back with some medicine, blood, and whatever medical shit he has to do. Just get some rest for now. I’ll have him drop you home and you can take the day off tomorrow. I’ll do all the work so don’t worry about it.”

He stepped out, the door closing behind him, and Ray could hear him walk away down the hall outside. The vampire lied back down into the bed, the back of his hand. Things just got a whole lot weirder and out of control in his life and he still wasn’t sure how to deal with it. It was all so abnormal. Strange. Worrying. And it was such a normal day too. He had work, they slacked off, jokes were made, and he was going out to have some monster dinner. Everything was so usual and it all just changed with that attack. All that could be really felt was tiredness and shock that sunk slowly into his skin.

Ray wasn’t sure how to fully react to everything being so suddenly heaped on him. It wasn’t news and information because he hardly got that but the atmospheric shift. Geoff was serious. He was going to work. And he didn’t know Jack well but he did know that he was a human working alongside Barbara. He didn’t know that the human knew about monsterkind though. It was an odd feeling to have someone apart of the group who isn’t supposed to know to actually know a whole lot more than himself. Ray was the vampire so why wasn’t he told about things?

His thoughts were snapped out of for a moment when the door opened, his head whipping round to look at who it was. He felt surprised to see Jack Pattillo, friendly human, standing there with a few supplies in hand. Geoff told him earlier that the human would be around but still, the politeness was unexpected and very welcomed. The man smiled softly behind his wire-framed glasses and Ray relaxed a bit to have the warmth that was offered in the cold room.

“We haven’t spoken much, but you’re Ray,” Jack stated. “I’m sorry for what happened. I hope to help with what I can heal, however.”

Jack’s voice was so similar to Ryan’s it made Ray’s shoulders hunch and Jack’s brow quirked at the movement. He didn’t question it though. He didn’t want to press the other. He just moved his things to the table beside the bed and did a basic check for illness. Ray moved properly, eyes wide to check his pupils, back hunched and deep breaths taken to check his lungs, and just another clean of small cuts that already scabbed over just fine.

“You still ache everywhere, don’t you?” he asked, softly poking at Ray’s forearm. Ray flinched and nodded.

“Yeah…It’s weird and I just feel sort of sick in my stomach. The blood I drank that got me in this mess…wasn’t good.”

“I bet it wasn’t.”

Jack said no more as he tapped Ray softly to lie on his belly. Ray did as he was directed while Jack took a syringe and filled it with a dark liquid Ray felt was going to make him worse. He still stuck out his arm for Jack to clean with a wipe and stick the needle in. The liquid entered his system and it didn’t make Ray feel sick but it did make his stomach feel funny.

“There’s a bucket below you. I’m going to knead a few pressure points in your torso before I help your head. Your system needs a serious detox of what you had. The regular blood was just to get you to wake up. Now we need to purge your stream. It’s not going to hurt though.” Jack smiled again and Ray could only peek up and trust him, nodding again.

“Just make it quick, okay doc?” Ray said jokingly. It wasn’t a joke though; he wanted it done quickly because he could already feel the turnover in his stomach.

Jack made soothing sounds, shushing the groans Ray made when he spat out bits of bile and blood. It was like throwing up water, the blood so thin and foul with his stomach acid. But it didn’t hurt. Not with Jack’s knuckles softly digging into his back and working his way up when the dirty blood would rise up to his throat. His hands were large and soft, not calloused and rough, and his thumbs rubbed small circles into his aching bones while his other fingers pinched the tension out of his skin. Ray couldn’t help but sigh contently before spilling more of his guts out because it actually was very relaxing and the heaviness on his head seemed to ease as more of the tainted blood left him.

“Almost done,” Jack murmured, moving from the small of Ray’s back to his shoulders where his shirt was bundled up. “You feeling a bit better?”

Ray nodded in a hazy joy. Jack’s voice was so like Ryan’s at it made his mind drift to him for the moment, soft words and firm rubbing. Even if his stomach was being emptied of foul blood he still found some solace in the likenesses between the two human men. If he wasn’t sick and in pain he would probably take the opportunity of being on his belly to rut against the bed but the scene wasn’t as sexy as it was comforting. And when Ray had finished being sick and giving it away to the bucket below, Jack sat him up and rubbed his back softly while giving him sips of pure tasting blood, not full of life but definitely far better testing with his stomach so empty and his throat hurting so much.

“You keep drinking while I work on your neck and head,” he said and Ray hummed lazily, still in a sweet fog of released tension.

Jack’s fingers worked out knots in Ray’s neck the vampire never knew was there until his head lolled and he groaned in approval. They were worked out so nicely and it made Ray’s arms feel weak. He couldn’t even hold the blood bag up to his lips without shaking. Jack told him firmly to keep drinking and Ray whined but obeyed because everything was so warm and good. The further he was lost to the small desire for a lack of tension in his body, the better his senses got. He could just smell Jack’s human blood, so similar to the blood in the bag, and for a moment Ray was sure the bagged blood was the human’s.

He didn’t explore the thought further because a muscle was pressed into by his neck and it made him twitch, one hand fisting the sheets while the other was close to popping the blood bag. His eyes flashed, ears twitching to the sound of heartbeats, and his nails sharpened to claws that poked into his palm and bag making the blood leak on his hand and onto the white sheets. Jack sighed and the firm pushes were gone to be replaced by soft rubs on Ray’s back and shoulders.

“What was that?” he asked, fangs peeking while he lapped up at the blood dripping down his arm.

“Just making sure your human and vampiric traits are still in sync. Which they are, by the way,” Jack answered, turning to the table and fishing out a rag to give to Ray. “It’s all a simple mental thing, calming you to retreat to your base emotions that all humans and creatures have. If I triggered that and it made you just another mindless creature then I’d have to kill you. Lucky nothing bad happened though.””

Ray’s jaw slackened and he choked on the blood he was lapping at.

“Wait a second- seriously?!”

Jack turned to Ray and the look on his face did indeed say he was very serious.

“Geoff knows that the needs of the many humans outweigh the needs of the few creatures,” Jack said simply, “Please understand that it’s not against you. I have people who I have to protect who haven’t turned yet.” He had a grim look on his face and Ray could tell that he was sorry to have such a bold line drawn between them already but he understood. Jack made everything easy to understand. It was something Ray could appreciate considering they were practically strangers.

“Okay, one, I am very impressed by the Star Trek reference, like, wow dude, go you,” he started after a moment, “And two, I’m all up and ready to go then?”

“Rest, lots of blood, and regular _healthy_ food. Try not to strain any muscles either. No heavy work or workouts.”

Ray barked out a laugh.

“Pfft, yep, there ain’t a problem with that, doc,” Ray said, trying to smother his snickers when he saw the strange look on Jack’s face.

“You don’t drink alcohol, do you?” he asked after the snickering stopped. Ray shrugged.

“As a human, nope. Sorta changed when the diet changed,” he said, feeling a little bit uncomfortable. His chronic drinking habits weren’t something he liked to touch upon. He wasn’t an alcoholic or anything, but it was one of the few things with enough taste for him to think that he was a little human again. Beer as bitter as his own bitterness about being turned. It was a constant reminder and cope. He definitely didn’t like dwelling on how he drank alcoholic beverages.

“Try not to drink too much. It’ll dilute the limited blood we can give you over the month while we assess the situation,” Jack said.

“With the hunters, right?”

“Yeah…With them.”

Everything was packed and Ray ran the rag he was given over the parts of his arm he couldn’t reach to lick the blood off. His arm was slightly stained a dark pink and still smelled strong of blood to him but he could shower it off when he got home. Maybe after a long rest. He felt like he deserved it through all the shit he went through, a thought that was made with a quick glance over at Jack who held the door open for him. He wanted to sleep for a few days.

 

Ray did not get to sleep for a few days, like he had originally wished.

The night he got to empty his stomach, Jack had dropped him off and Ray made his way up the stairs to his apartment with heavy legs. When he had opened his door, he stepped on a note he paid no attention to, stumbling into the couch and enjoying the calm of his home. His open window let a breeze wash over him that shut his door with a slam he ignored so he could bury his head in the crook of his arm and shut his eyes tightly to try to sleep.

The vampire woke up in the morning, a little thirsty for something bloody but that was because all he could smell on him was blood. He groaned as he got up so he could wash it off, stripping his clothes and letting even the cold water to shower him before it warmed up. He scrubbed the blood off his arm and gurgled the water to wash his mouth of the aftertaste of blood he wanted to drink. Food would be a taste-distraction from what he craved after he was emptied of an addiction.

His clothes clung to his damp skin when he got changed. He didn’t bother to dry properly, his mind a mile away from his body. He tried to focus on the small things, all the things he needed to do to stop himself from falling to the haze of his bloodlust. He would drink almost full adult bodies but only a couple of bags just didn’t sit right in his gut. It made him squirm a little, fingernails becoming claws when his hands balled into fists to keep himself still, to keep himself from walking out of his apartment.

Two-minute noodles weren’t the best thing to eat but the wait was short and the heat of the boiling water was enough of a texture replica to calm him enough to text Geoff that he really needed a bag. Last night was not enough and the taste of addiction still stuck on his tongue the more he thought about what happened in the alleyway. How the thick man was full to the brim with blood and still pumped more of it, still alive as well apparently. Until he was beheaded.

The thought made Ray cringe and push his bowl away, burying his head in one hand while the other tapped on the table impatiently. He wanted to rest but his body didn’t. It wanted to feed again and for once he felt like he should change his habits to supply for the extreme thirst he felt. But bags of blood don’t replicate the taste of life. It can be any blood type but the essence of a living thing is what makes him tick and it was only now that he realized how dangerous the preference really was. How much trouble it has caused him and continues too when there are scratch marks on the wooden surface of his table.

The same routine happened for another multitude days. Lindsay would drop by with his meal in a paper bag. She would try to talk to Ray but most conversation made was small talk and silence while they just sat in each other’s company. Ray felt like he was tolerating it and it did hurt to feel that way towards one of his best friends through his monster life but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t want to be near others when the risk of hurting them hovered so close. Lindsay spoke of Jack and how the human said it was alright to return to work but Ray couldn’t bring himself to.

It was on the eleventh day that Ray forced himself to at least get into his coat and drop his phone into the pocket of his jacket. He brought nothing else but himself and the essentials when he locked his door and started down the stairs slowly. He was still tired, hungry, and just trying to force himself to keep moving. He didn’t even stop when he made his way passed Ryan’s door. His ears did perk up though when he was halfway down a flight and the door opened. He still made himself keep moving. If he stopped he might do something stupid. He didn’t want to do something stupid.

“Hey, Ray!”

If Ray was more alert he would cringe but he turned to meet the concerned gaze of his vertical neighbor. Ray knew he didn’t look in the best health, baggy eyes and sagging shoulders. Night terrors got to him in ways he wished he could appreciate but the timing and the bloodlust that went through him like a rush of adrenaline just made it feel inappropriate. It was why Ray couldn’t bring himself to meet Ryan’s eyes, looking down and shuffling his feet nonchalantly.

“Mornin’,” Ray mumbled. Ryan didn’t seem satisfied by the reply.

“I…heard about what happened.”

Ray stiffened but he knew well enough that Ryan didn’t get the full story.

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry; I feel partially responsible for this for not finishing work earlier and-.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Ray interrupted, waving his hands in surprise and turning to face Ryan. “Look, that shit wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s. And I’m alright now so just- you don’t have to worry, okay?”

“I still feel like I’m at fault, even if you don’t,” Ryan said. Ray shrugged and gave the human a tired smile. It was the first smile he made in a while.

“Let’s get to work then, huh?”

“Yeah, Lindsay should be waiting downstairs. She’s been coming over to take us to work because of…yeah. But you’ve been out of commission for a while. Everyone’s been a little bit worried.” He walked down the stairs beside Ray and Ray didn’t have to look at Ryan to feel the look that pierced the side of his head.

“Just needed the time to myself. I am a victim, Ry,” Ray joked, the bitterness edging into his words only a little, but Ryan seemed a little calmer to see that Ray was just being some part of himself. It almost hurt Ray to have something so small make the other feel so relieved. He felt like he must’ve made Ryan worry a lot. He swallowed the feeling down.

“So,” Ray started, “How’s things been going then?”

“Slowly,” Ryan answered, looking at Ray carefully like anything said could have the potential to make the man stop walking to retreat back to his room. “At least in my department. After we updated a few main systems, all I’ve had to do is just keep backing up files. It’s just constant backups and mass deletions. Work upstairs has been…hectic, I guess.”

“Yeah, no doubt,” Ray said, snorting. He tried not to frown but, being in thought, he couldn’t help it. The way Geoff was after the attack. He knew the demon to be regularly tired but it was as if it were a show. He was serious, yet somehow he managed to seem even more tired. Ray wondered how many times he had to go to such protective measures. It must have been a lot if he could slide right into the leader role so easily like he did. The guilt didn’t seem to stop though.

The conversation Ray tried to start ended at that, Ryan fidgeting beside Ray awkwardly and looking like he wanted to ask how exactly Ray was. Ray would answer but at the same time he didn’t want to. He just wanted to get back into the groove of things and distract himself from the urges that kept bubbling up when he looked at Ryan for a second too long, his eyes trailing down to his neck and making Ray lick his lips before ripping his eyes away from the sight. It was growing more tolerable at least. Having someone around was desensitizing him.

At the bottom of the stairs, Lindsay was waiting. She was on her phone and looked as if she was texting someone before sighing, brow furrowed and nose crinkled.

“Goddammit,” she hissed under her breath.

“Hey now, don’t use the Lord’s name in vain, dude,” Ray called.

Lindsay’s head whipped around to seek Ray after hearing his voice and while her eyes said she was worried and wanted to ask, she still grinned and brought him into a tight hug he couldn’t really breathe in but he didn’t mind. He wrapped his arms awkwardly around her middle and hugged her back, nosing her neck to just be surrounded by a warm and familiar scent. Her blood’s call can come last after getting his hugs on with his main homie. He didn’t know how much he missed her until she pulled from the hug and used her purse to hit his head. He grinned.

“About goddamn time you come out of your Batcave, you son of a bitch!” she said with a relieved laugh.

“That’s my mom you’re talking about,” Ray replied. She laughed again and ushered him out the door.

“Come on, we got a workday to get to.”

“Shotgun?”

“Ryan?”

“I’m cool,” Ryan said, giving Ray a soft look that the man didn’t notice while he was tugged by the arm by Lindsay. The harpy noticed though and the expression on her face when he noticed her was something he looked away from. Ray didn’t see the exchange and reached out to tug Ryan’s sleeve to follow.

Ray took his front seat and Ryan took the seat behind Lindsay. She turned down the volume of her radio so she could keep talking to Ray and Ray felt like even though he wasn’t walking down the street to work that it was all something normal. He needed some normal and he appreciated Lindsay’s avoidance of the topic that was on the minds of everyone in car. He’d talk more about it later, maybe, when the company kept in the group were all monsters. With the exception of Jack. He wanted to ask that human some questions.

Through the conversation Ray took peeks to the mirror to see how Ryan was. Sometimes he would catch a glimpse of Ryan looking over at him and he would turn away before looking over again and seeing that Ryan was looking out the window, arm propped as he leaned on his hand. Ray knew he had been away for a while but he didn’t realize how different Ryan would look after finally going out. It hadn’t exactly been a time period of months; Ray had only hid away for almost two weeks. Still, it was a time period he hadn’t contacted anyone about how he was doing either. His small talks with Lindsay when she came over with food weren’t exactly revealing of his state of body and mind.

Ryan looked reserved, tired, and scruffy. He looked like he hadn’t shaved in a while, his jaw looking messier rather than cleanly cut. His eyes had bags beneath them and his lips looked as though they have been perpetually downturned into a thoughtful frown. Ray would find the rugged hipster look attractive any other day he wasn’t concerned for his friends who seemed to follow a ‘fake it to make it’ rule. For a moment he wondered what else has happened while he was gone, or if his lack of presence just made them that worried.

Ray spent a time just watching buildings pass after the conversation with Lindsay died out. She still kept the talk going though, instead engaging in something with Ryan that Ray didn’t really pay attention to. It was all background noise like the rain that was pounding on the car. He didn’t know how or when the weather ended up so shit but it seemed to match his internal monologue with questions of whats and hows. He felt light-headed and wasn’t sure what to expect from the day. All he knew was that the one familiar thing he could probably enjoy out of going to work again would be lunch. A blood pudding would be great.

 

Being back at work was a lot easier than Ray expected. There wasn’t a big welcome back party, not that he expected or wanted one, but Barbara screeched like a banshee before whisking Ray in a hug babbling her worries and her angers. She had no idea about what went on or what was going on. Lindsay didn’t completely fill her in but apparently not even Lindsay knew of the important details about Ray’s attack and the carpooling arrangement that was in effect. After Barbara gushed her own retellings of the days that he was not around, they did have a small talk of how Ray was and if he knew about how Ryan was doing. According to her, Ryan hadn’t been the same since the night of the incident. She pegged it on guilt and Ray quietly agreed. The human was so nice, almost too nice, that it wasn’t a surprise to voice the fact that he wanted to take all the blame onto himself.

Geoff dropped a massive amount of paperwork in surprise when Ray walked into the office after getting through conversations with Lindsay and Barbara, Ryan having slinked off to work with only a small wave goodbye. No words passed between the vampire and the demon – Geoff was probably too stunned to properly speak them – but Ray’s hair was ruffled before Geoff patted the man’s shoulder and muttered his welcomes. To Ray, that was enough, and he gave Geoff a hug first that was immediately reciprocated. Ray’s stomach may have growled in that embrace and Geoff may have laughed at Ray’s expense before pulling out a snack bar out of his desk but it was still an appreciated exchange that wasn’t too forced like the others.

“I was expecting you to be back so soon. I was thinking at least another two weeks,” Geoff admitted, explaining his surprise. Ray shrugged, eating the bar slowly. He thought that he might as well address the elephant in the room, leaning back in his chair and looking at his boss.

“What’s going on, Geoff?” His boss opened his mouth but Ray interrupted. “For real, dude. I want to know.” Geoff forced a laugh before looking at the vampire.

“Ray, I told you I can’t divulge what shit is going down. If you’re in some immediate danger because of the hunters then I’ll tell you that, but right now it’s just stuff you don’t need to know yet.”

The vampire growled.

“Geoff, I am _so fucking hungry_ right now,” Ray said, “And it’s eating me up. I need to feed again, man.”

“I’m sorry, Ray, but I can’t risk that. You’re part of our community now which means you’re my responsibility. Your _life_ is my responsibility.” Geoff looked so serious as he said that and Ray would feel more guilty if he wasn’t so hungry.

“I am going to jump Ryan for his neck, Geoff,” Ray raised his voice, “I am going to attack someone on the streets for no reason. I haven’t felt this hungry since I turned. Hear that, Geoff? _Since I turned_.”

Geoff smiled sadly and Ray blinked at the hurt expression.

“What’s going on, Geoff?” Ray repeated his question.

“That…isn’t something I can answer,” Geoff said. Before Ray could yell, he added: “Though your friendly monster health supervisor might be able to fill you in.”

Ray took the blunt hint but he still wasn’t pleased with the beating around the push he was given. He turned and stalked out of the office to the floor below where all the humans tended to work if not in the warehouse. He did pass Ryan’s little makeshift office where the man had a few units around him that he was fixing up. Ray was gone quick though, no moments spared between the two before he walked passed reception to Jack’s desk. The meeting must’ve been expected because all that Ray received from the receptionist was a wary look before turning back to whatever work she had to do on her computer.

The door wasn’t slammed open but Ray made a point of slamming it shut, striding over to the blinds to close them. Jack only leaned back in his chair with an almost serene smile that would piss Ray off if he didn’t know that Jack could probably kill him. He was already warned before and it may have been almost two weeks ago but the message of the man’s danger was received and he wasn’t going to push it too hard. Not unless it came to that and his hunger and frustration overrode any sense of civility he had to keep within their meeting.

“Jack.”

“Ray.”

There was a tense moment of silence. Ray doesn’t stop glaring, wishing he could bore holes in Jack’s head so he could pick it apart for the information he wanted. Jack seemed nonchalant about the situation, he definitely knew something, but Ray just couldn’t determine it from facing him. It wasn’t like he w against asking for what he wanted to know but he felt like he was tiptoeing over glass. He licked his lips to prepare to speak but his entire thought process that wanted to leak from his mouth was interrupted when Jack stood from his desk to stand in front of a bookshelf.

“Are you hungry, Ray? You must be hungry, or thirsty,” Jack said, and Ray could hear the smile in his words that were all-knowing and sounded no telling. “Which word do you prefer to refer to it? The growling in your stomach that calls for this.”

Jack had opened up a small safe in his office that held a crystal bottle filled with Ray knew to be blood. The stopper was lifted and Ray could just smell it, taking in a long whiff of the scent and feeling his fangs dig into his bottom lip. His eyes flashed and Jack smiled at it. He gave a hearty laugh and poured the liquid into a glass that was also kept in the safe. Ray’s hand was shaking when the glass was offered, eyes darting back to the safe before settling on Jack.

“Have many vampires come over?” Ray said, biting back a snarl. Jack seemed to ignore it and, with his smile still in place, he nodded and put the bottle back.

“For a lot of interspecies transactions, yes. Though most of those vampires a _full_ ,” Jack said. Ray felt as if a hint had been dropped but he couldn’t place it. A look of disgust took his face as he proposed what he thought it implied.

“Full as in already all fed up?”

“The other full, ‘fledgling’.”

The look didn’t move from Ray’s face but it did soften when he thought about it. Drinking the blood he received was something he did slowly, savoring it as what it was while it lasted, but then he looked down into his glass and thought harder. His eyes widened in shock as he tried to piece it together. All of a sudden he felt sick, blood and bile rising to his throat in a more uncomfortable combination than what he felt when Jack relieved him of the pain that was in his stomach nights ago.

“No…no, I’m not-.”

“I didn’t expect you to be here for another two weeks, give or take another one,” Jack interrupted, plucking the glass from Ray’s stiff hand and putting it back in the safe. “You want to know how and why, and I can tell you. I want to tell you. These sorts of things are my area of expertise.”

Ray leapt out of his chair fast, almost in a flash, before grabbing Jack by the collar of his shirt and holding him up threateningly. His fingers were itching to do something involving an anger that was stirring within him and following it but Jack must’ve suspected the reaction because he flashed a knife at Ray who stared and settled as much as he could. He still kept Jack close, maybe even threatening to bite out his neck if he didn’t explain what he should’ve the first night.

“Am I of age or some monster bullshit?” Ray spat out.

“Oh, no. I triggered it,” Jack said. Ray’s grip tightened and Jack went on: “When a fledgling ingests the blood of a full vampire, they in turn become one.” Ray slowly let go of Jack, stepping back and wrapping his arms around himself. Vampire blood wasn’t something he thought he had taken. He didn’t recall ever feeding from a vampire. Then an idea went through his head.

“That guy that attacked me…was he-?”

“No, he wasn’t,” Jack deadpanned. “Think after your attack. Think of when you first noticed the change.”

“Or you can stop being mysterious and tell me,” Ray snapped. But he still thought because Jack’s look was so smug and held so much away from the vampire that he had to think of what was going on himself.

“The only other blood I drank was the bagged bullshit you and Geoff gave me!” Ray said, almost an exasperated cry. “I know that was human blood too because it couldn’t have tasted like any other blood. And I have smelled Lindsay and Barbara’s blood – Monster blood is different!”

“You didn’t drink it, but it still entered your system. Actually, the reason why you have matured so fast would probably be because it _directly_ entered your system,” Jack explained. “Maybe through a vein…”

And then it all clicked in Ray what had happened. The injection, the shift in his body, the strong thirst and heightened senses.

“You forced me to turn…” Ray murmured, surprised and staring at Jack with that emotion. “You hand me a goddamn death threat for killing innocents after turning me into a _goddamn fucking monster that can do that!_ ”

“But you haven’t attacked anyone, and that is all that matters.”

Jack said it so simply but all Ray could do was feel betrayed. He honestly held some respect for Jack but his anger blinded him for the moment he lunged at the human and pushed him up against the wall with his neck in his hands. He could feel the dull throb in Jack’s neck that made him hungry all over again but it frustrated him that his pulse didn’t thrum any faster than when Ray first entered. It was a calm that annoyed him and he wanted to tear it out to stop but something was stopping him from doing even that.

“You have some sort of humanity, Ray,” Jack said softly, “Even as a creature of the night, you are still as compassionate as any human on earth with the ability to be so. That’s why I gave you time and knew you’d come out of it safely.”

“I could have _killed_ people, Jack,” Ray croaked. “I could have done so many bad things. I _want_ to.”

Jack frowned but Ray’s firm grip on his neck loosened and the human moved to pat Ray’s back in a comforting manner. Hugs didn’t seem like the appropriate way to comfort the vampire after everything that was just learnt.

“You’ve held out for so long. I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Jack said, ruffling Ray’s hair with a smile. “The rest is for you to learn and control. But I’ll keep you fed. You’re not completely through your change.”

“Wait, _what?!_ ” Ray gasped, not wanting to deal with any more than what he was.

“You were supposed to be out for a month. It has been a little less than half of that. You’ll know when you’ve fully changed.”

“Just _tell me_ , goddammit, _please_!”

“It’s different for every vampire, Ray. You really do have to learn this one on your own.”

“What? And no hints? No warning signs to give in case I do fucking _murder someone?!_ ”

“You’re a big boy now, vampire. No fledgling for you.”

Ray scoffed, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. Everything just hurt. It was a digging into his ribs he didn’t like and after he snarled at Jack who readjusted his collar and rubbed at his neck, Ray opened the door suddenly and slammed it closed. Everyone in range of the office gasped, save for the receptionist who stepped behind Ray to enter the office and close the door softly behind her. The vampire turned back to see her apologetic face peer behind the door but he felt no sympathy from her. He was busy feeling sorry for himself.

He walked passed Ryan’s office again but was caught this time around, wrist captured as Ryan asked him to wait. Ray just sighed, sniffing, and gave his best fake smile that could so obviously be seen through. Ray didn’t want to be at work anymore. He just wanted to hide from the world, take the fresh blood bagged and offered, and stay away from everyone. That’s all he wanted but the world didn’t seem to want that from him. Not when it made Ryan run a thumb over Ray’s cheek to wipe a tear he wasn’t aware he let fall.

It was all so soft and sweet and so Ryan that it made Ray’s heart clench tightly when he looked at him. It had been a while since they had been so close. Ray had refused to text anyone while he was being a lone wolf so every bit of sincere affection received by anyone was weird and it tugged at him. Especially the affection offered by Ryan who was unsure of what went on in the office and would never know. Ray would never want Ryan to know of what he had to deal with. He never wanted him to know of the hunger he felt when the human stood so close and was such easy prey, offering his friendship like he neck and baring it to the monster. Shit, Ray would pity the guy if he wasn’t busy falling for him.

“Stay? I mean, you don’t have to but…maybe I can buy you some dinner. Shitty burritos or McDonald’s, you just name it and maybe we can hang out again before you go back to your Game Cave,” Ryan said, voice soft and trying to joke a little. Ray gave a short laugh and took a breath.

“Yeah, sure, dude. Why not?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyyy. Not much Ryan but it's coming. Next chapter is in its startin' works too so maybe another 2 weeks and it'll be all set.
> 
> I originally did have a more different sort of action scene written into this but if I did that then the ending to this chapter would have never happened and the vampiric development that I had for Ray would never have occurred so tis a small price to pay for a much more juicier scene. However, I do think I just might add it to the next chapter considering it was supposed to be more emotional development via conflict... (I do hope I am being vague enough and enticing y'all to stick around lmao)

**Author's Note:**

> Hmu on [tumblr](http://robotentacles.tumblr.com/) if you want. I do art and writing commissions.


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